This is a picture of Katharine Lee Bates with her Collie, Sigurd, when she was in Colorado Springs at Colorado College. Katharine Lee Bates is known for her poem that became the song, "America the Beautiful."
When Katharine Lee Bates taught English at Wellesly College in Massachusetts, she decided to take a trip west. During her travels Katharine Lee Bates visited many spots of interest across the country. She was impressed with what she saw. Katharine Lee Bates arrived in Colorado Springs in July, 1893. She came to Colorado Springs to teach summer classes at Colorado College.
One day, while at Colorado College, she took a carriage ride on the Pikes Peak Highway to the top of Pikes Peak with a group of other teachers. When she arrived she was overwhelmed by the views. Katharine Bates later wrote in her diary that it was the "most glorious scenery I ever beheld." That was the beginning of the idea to write the famous poem.
The words in the poem refer to the things she saw during her trip across the country. "Amber waves of grain" is about the wheat fields in Kansas. "Purple mountain majesty" describes Pikes Peak.
After several changes in the words, the poem was finally published in 1911. The words were sung to many different melodies, and there was even a contest to find just the right music for the great poem. Finally, the music of Samuel Ward was chosen. Miss Bates and Mr. Ward never met each other.
Miss Bates became very popular after that, and she continued to write poetry until her death in 1929 at the age of 69. There is a museum and statue in Massachusetts to honor her.
There is also a plaque with the first
two verses of America the Beautiful on it at the top of Pikes Peak put there
in 1993 to mark the 100 year anniversary of the poem.
Painted by: Kathy Barnes
Written By: Diana Francese